Buzby: Scrapyard

1979
Sound
1m

Remember Buzby? This TV ad for telephone services features two faithful old friends and some slick character animation.

Were you in the Buzby club? The talking bird was the face of Post Office Telecommunications (later BT) marketing from 1976, before Maureen Lipman's 'ologies' and Bob Hoskins' reminder that it was good to talk. Voiced by the inimitable Bernard Cribbins, in the series of ads he reminded friends to "make someone happy with a phone call".

In this period several British cartoon studios were hitting the top of their game with character animation for adverts, as highlighted here by the work of Oscar Grillo and Sergio Simonelli's Dragon Productions.

Commercial Television

The launch of ITV on 22 September 1955 brought advertising to the small screen. Commercial television spread rapidly across the country, inviting the salesperson into every living room.

This collection shows how some advertisers struggled to find the right voice and formats for the new medium, while others hit the ground running. Look out for rare examples of the shortlived 'admags' - banned in 1962 for blurring the distinction between programmes and adverts.